The Cattle Business Weekly

Interest rates for feeder cattle loans have risen over the last quarter and are expected to rise significantly over the next year. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows that average feeder livestock loan rates rose to 7.96% in the third quarter of 2026 from 7.78% in the second quarter. This data was collected in Texas and surrounding areas, but other parts of cattle country should see...

Does the traditional 10-year cattle cycle still matter? “Absolutely,” according to Derrell Peel, Ph. D., Extension livestock marketing economist at Oklahoma State University. “It matters a whole lot, given that we are in a cyclically low environment right now that’s driving record high prices. The cattle cycle is still very much a consideration for everybody.” Dave Weaber agrees. Not only is the c...

Feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity placed 1.8 million head in September, which was 244,000 head fewer (-12.1%) year over year and 3.8% less than average analyst estimates ahead of the report. Placements were the lowest for the month since the data series began in 1996. In terms of placement weights, 35% went on feed weighing 600-699 lbs., 700-899 lbs. weighing 700-899 lbs. and 20% weighing...

GEM, a cattle herd-management and data system that has successfully served producers for nearly 25 years, has been acquired by Jake and Ruby Alford, owners of TARC, in partnership with the Steiger Family Office. TARC (Technology for Agriculture, Ranching, and Commodities) is a company that builds workflow-driven software for ranches, livestock shows, and auction businesses. The transition is desig...

Simplot Livestock’s integrated breeding program shows how commercial producers can use focused goals, crossbreeding and performance feedback to improve profitability.   Genetic tools deliver the greatest value when producers know what they want their cattle to accomplish and consistently measure whether those cattle are meeting the goal. That was the message from Randall Raymond, DVM, director of...

  It was with a small amount of trepidation that Britni Ross of Philip, South Dakota, accepted the nomination as a finalist for the Dakotafest Woman Farmer/Rancher of the Year honor. A title she would go on to win this past August. She says she didn’t feel worthy of receiving the award, and it created a small level of imposter syndrome in her. Now, a couple of months later, she is feeling better a...

Bob and Robby Jewell of Decorah have been selected as the 2026 Iowa Leopold Conservation Award® recipients. The ,000 award honors farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land. The Jewells’ 1,600-acre farm, Jewell Enterprizes, in located in Winneshiek County. They grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa...

    Motivation gets a feed truck moving before sunrise, keeps operations steady through adversity and drives pursuit of the next goal. It’s done more than fuel daily routines for Terry Beller, Lindsay, Nebraska. It’s helped build Beller Feedlot into a multi-generational operation known for its customer service and high-quality beef. Founded in the 1950s by his parents, Jim and Mary Catherine, Bell...

You can set a corner post eight feet deep in packed clay, tamp it in six-inch layers, and tie it to the best oak on the place. Then put that line under real load: a wet spring, a north wind that won’t quit, a hundred head leaning because the grass looks better on the other side, and that post will lean. Not because it was weak. Because it was alone. That’s what the H-brace is for. Two posts and a...

It is no secret that record-high beef prices over the last year are a result of tight cattle supplies and strong consumer demand. The average monthly retail price for all fresh beef products in July was .63/lb. This is down from the high of /lb. in April but is still 5% higher than the same month last year and 31% higher than the 5-year historical average for August. Demand shifts among beef produ...

Second Port Opens to Mexican Cattle Approximately 400 head of cattle, averaging 600 to 700 pounds, crossed into Santa Teresa, New Mexico on Thursday, Sept. 24, as the second port of entry opened to Mexican cattle imports. The Santa Teresa port, located across from San Jerónimo, Chihuahua, is part of the USDA's gradual restoration of livestock trade along the southern border following closures...

  The latest USDA Cattle on Feed shows the September feedlot inventory at 11.163 million head, up 0.7 percent from one year ago.  Monthly on-feed totals have been above year earlier levels the past five months.  Placements in August were down 9.2 percent year over year and August marketings were down 3.3 percent.  Average feedlot placements and marketings have declined sharply in recent months and...

The National Western announced the inaugural class of Ranches of the West, a new heritage award recognizing ranches whose leadership and contributions have shaped the American beef industry and Western way of life.  The 10 honorees will be formally inducted as part of an expanded National Western Stock Show Cattlemen’s Week, Jan. 13-18. An exhibit featuring the honorees will be on display at Natio...

The recent Cattle on Feed Report indicated that, for August, we had the fewest cattle placed on feed in 30 years, down 9% from August 2025.  This is quite bullish for the fed cattle market for the end of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027. Interestingly, we have 1% more cattle on feed versus 2025. We know the packers want to harvest larger carcasses to compensate for the lower numbers, and the cat...

South Dakota State University Celebrates the Cattle Industry It was a full and fun weekend for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at South Dakota State University Sept. 12 as the university celebrated its Beef Bowl. A large crowd came out for all of the festivities which included a beef barbecue, tailgate contest, a live cattle display and a football game between the SDSU...

ProRodeo Hall of Fame stock contractor Jim Sutton Jr. passed away Sept. 3 in Pierre, S.D. He was 91 years old. The South Dakota native ran Sutton Rodeo Company with his father, James H. Sutton Sr., beginning in 1968, and transformed the outfit into one of the top firms in PRORODEO. When asked how he'd want to be remembered during Rodeo Rapid City (S.D.) this past February, he gave a simple an...

   Each year, the Minnesota Beef Council proudly recognizes a Minnesota retailer  for its outstanding commitment to excellence in beef promotion. This year’s 2026 Minnesota Retail Beef Backer Award goes to St. Joseph Meat Market of St. Joseph, Minnesota, a family-owned establishment whose legacy and innovation have made them a pillar of Minnesota’s beef industry. In 1948, John Pflueger bought the...

   Each year, the Minnesota Beef Council proudly recognizes a Minnesota retailer  for its outstanding commitment to excellence in beef promotion. This year’s 2026 Minnesota Retail Beef Backer Award goes to St. Joseph Meat Market of St. Joseph, Minnesota, a family-owned establishment whose legacy and innovation have made them a pillar of Minnesota’s beef industry. In 1948, John Pflueger bought the...

    The John Lee and Ellen Njos family has been selected as the 2026 North Dakota Leopold Conservation Award® recipient.  The award honors farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land. The Njos family’s 4,800-acre Coyote Creek Ranch is located near Rhame in Bowman County. They will be formal...

The Data Driven Herd program through the American Angus Association is the result of breeders, board members and staff seeking to recognize American Angus Association® members who are committed to the collection and submission of data on multiple traits to AHIR® to help better characterize phenotypes in both their herd and the Angus breed. In August, 299 herds were recognized as 2026 Gold, Silver...

On Sept. 4 President Donald J. Trump signed two Executive Orders related to America’s ranching industry and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins made additional announcements regarding the cattle and beef industries.  In addition to the two Executive Orders, USDA also announced four additional actions it is taking to follow-up on the USDA Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry (2025...

September 2, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Shomari C. Figures (AL-02) introduced the Protecting American Beef Producers Act, a bill to support American cattle producers by reversing President Trump’s proclamation that allowed for 300,000 metric tons of beef to be imported into the country and sold below market rate. “Alabama farmers are already struggling to make ends meet tha...

    The journey to produce high-quality beef presents market volatility and management challenges. But today, there are data, technology, tools and partners to identify the best value and how to attain it.   At the 2026 Feeding Quality Forum, each speaker added to the same message on Aug. 4 and 5 in Amarillo, TX. Hosted by Certified Angus Beef (CAB), the event drew more than 230 cow-calf producers...

  What does the winter of 2026-27 look like for the Northern Plains?  There are several things to discuss about this winter.  Long range seasonal outlooks are particularly difficult to create, and describe, because of the multiple influences that can happen in a season. But there are times when outlooks have some more confidence describing a season overall.  Officially these outlooks are created b...

Dan Kuhn shares about his family’s longtime food stand at the South Dakota State Fair   If you were a kid in the 60s, a trip to the South Dakota State Fair might have included a hot dog. And to be more specific, it might have been a Shorty’s hot dog. Thousands upon thousands of fairgoers were greeted by Clarence “Shorty” Herold and his family for over 90 years at the South Dakota State Fair. You m...